[nards]

Hey Bon
Some great thoughts about summer and stuff. About the only things I hate about summer would be the mozzies and those freaken immodest low cut tops.

Originally Posted by beanie

What's your favourite thing about summer?

My favourite thing about summer would be the good old bbq and late nights chillin with friends.

Congrats on being an Aunt soon

Anyways, laters
Nards

[guitarfan01]

I would date you at about June 1985, if I had to.

And congratulations to your brother and his wife. I pray for a safe and uneventful pregnancy and delivery.

[beanie]

Originally Posted by guitarfan01

I would date you at about June 1985, if I had to.

And congratulations to your brother and his wife. I pray for a safe and uneventful pregnancy and delivery.

Oh you're so funny. I looked like a sumo in June 1985 sucker.

I hope it's an eventful delivery... after 9 freaking months, I'm hoping there'll be a kid at the end!

[coldtoedpunker]

Originally Posted by beanie

I hope it's an eventful delivery... after 9 freaking months, I'm hoping there'll be a kid at the end!

ha yeah! you'd be felling pretty ripped off wouldnt you.

you're funny auntie bonnie.

[nards]

Originally Posted by beanie

I hope it's an eventful delivery... after 9 freaking months, I'm hoping there'll be a kid at the end!

Yeah, would suck if something happened in the last few weeks or during delivery.

[guitarfan01]

Originally Posted by beanie

Oh you're so funny. I looked like a sumo in June 1985 sucker.

I hope it's an eventful delivery... after 9 freaking months, I'm hoping there'll be a kid at the end!

You know that I didn't mean either that kind of dating or that kind of uneventful.

[beanie]

Right. I'm going away for a week. No mobile reception, no tv, no discman. Oh man. Will I die? If I don't return, don't stress. I'll be in heaven and I'll prolly see you there eventually. Have fun, me heartys.

[guitarfan01]

God bless, Bon!

[nards]

Hey Bon
Hope you survive a week with no electronic stuff.

[beanie]

I was already tired and out of it when I went to camp. I drove up with a complete stranger, but she was fun and we had a good time. We didn't really have a map, so we guessed most of the turn-offs and got there safely at about 4pm. Heaps of campers had already arrived and it was all strange for me. I knew about 4 people and had no idea about the campsite. I realised that I hadn't been to a camp where I didn't know heaps of people already in a looooong time. It was a challeging week.

On day 3, I finally woke up and realised I had less than 2 days to rock out with the kids and make some kind of difference. The first couple of days, I was gathering energy and thinking about how the camp had potential to go nuts, but it was still slow in coming. Messy games did it I reckon. It was so gross. I really don't like it much, but I was the leader of one of the games. I was pretty safe, right!? Yeah... right.

I explained to the kids that when the came up to the bowl of jelly they had to stick their face in there and try and fish out some lolly snakes with their teeth. This is fine until there are no snakes left. Lets gather all the jelly and peg it at Bon. Great idea. You'd think that something as squishy as jelly wouldn't hurt much. Wrong again. I had EGGS on my head from being pelted with this stuff! Then, when all the games were over, we sat the winning team down in the middle and used the remains to throw at them. The water bombs came out after that. When people were rinsing off under the outside shower, a great lake of mud was made. Sometime later, I was ambushed by some big guys and dragged through the mud.

THEN.... when you think things cant get much worse, Rachel, Carly and I had to stand outside on the oval, going crusty as the mud dried, waiting for the kids to finish in the showers. It took forever. The sun went down. It got colder. We started wailing (really loudly!) and calling for our mums; yabbering about how we'd have to walk to town and ask to use some strangers shower, how we'd been trampled by wilderbeasts and had forgotten our names. When we heard that the showers had run out of hot water, the wailing got worse. Our voices still haven't recovered.

Rachel, Carly and I ran a workshop and talked to the girls about journalling and writing and art - stuff that we're all absolutely in love with in various forms and extremes. Carly and I ran a second workshop where we painted a huge banner and it was sooooooo awesome. I'm so stoked I was able to be a part of it even though I'm not really arty or good at painting.

At the quiz night, our team won - that was rad as! We got a packet of Froot Loops. Woo! Did you know that that stuff is like 1/3 sugar! Unbelievable. I ran the drama night which was pretty spontaneous and dorky (and I'm so not really good with drama stuff), but still, we got some laughs. We told the lamest jokes and saw some funny plays. We did the nutbush and father abraham and then I taught them a song in Khmer. That was exciting... An exciting FLOP! Oh well...

On the wednesday night, at about midnight, after we'd tucked the girls in our dorm into bed and kissed them goodnight, Carly and I walked into the middle of this paddock and just laid there. The sky was HUGE and the stars were incredible and untainted. The clouds were sparse but as the hours went by, they became thicker and it looked like God was pulling a huge doona over the earth. It also felt like we were above the earth, floating above the clouds. The sky was even shape sphere-like. It was rad as!!!!!! Indescribable. We talked about dreams and futures and camp and God. He is so freaking exciting. When I think about Him a lot, I just need to wizz!

The cooks coloured the mash potato. They're my favourite cooks ever! I love coloured food!

We went on a dawn walk, which was nice. Later that day, we went on a mountain hike (the campside is called Willochra and it's situated at the bottom end of the Flinders Ranges, by a moutain called Mt Remarkable). We were going to Cathedral Rock, but a wrong turn at the very start meant we missed it. We spent hours walking over the little hills that were around the big mountain. It was a nice walk, don't get me wrong, but man! I just wanted to climb the big massive one! Maybe next time...

I made heaps good mates with this 14 year old kid named Luke. I gave him a blue, plastic bangle I had with spikes coming out of it. He said it was his lucky charm cos when he took it off, he fell down the hill and got a few battle injuries. He was safe with it on. We took turns piggy-backing each other for a bit around the hills. We wrestled, played footy and he escorted me to dinner one night. He ripped off this bark around a tree only to find a whole family of freaky white spiders. At this, I was intrigued and decided to investigate. He throws his hands in the air, screams "I'm getting outta here" and he's off. A funny young man! I had a great time!

Having never been on this camp before, I learned a lot of new games, camp traditions and also Lutheran traditions. It was sooooo good! I'm so glad I went. God did heaps in the kids over the week and it was awesome to hear some testimonies of how they've changed over all the years they've been attending.





Yesterday, after D2, Dad picked me up in his new work truck. One of my younger brothers was with him. We went up to Riverton for my Nan's 80th birthday party. (On the way, we talked the election which is next Saturday.) Heaps of old people, all of whom couldn't "believe how much you kids have grown". You know the story! I met up with Nan's old friends and mum told me the background to everyone who was there, how they met my grandparents and stuff. I met up with this lovely old couple, Ron and Elsie, who I've seen a bit. Ron and Grandad were best mates. Elsie was so excited when I told her about going overseas, to the Philippines and New Zealand, and we talked about the faithfulness of God and stuff. It was so cool to see this old duck getting so psyched up for Him! I wanna be like that when I'm old!

It was rad as to have ALL the family there. All except one cousin made it.My brother was home from the army and everyone was over from interstate and whatever. Party at the caravan park and a good ol' Aussie BBQ... LOVING IT! I got to sit on the oval for ages with my brothers wife and talk and cry with her about being pregnant, how marriage is going and how the church back home is going. Heartbreaking stuff (and I never wanna be pregnant!) but still sweet to catch up with her. After tea, Mum and Dad drove me back home to the city. We talked about the church back home that they attend, the beliefs of the pastor, the end times, false teaching, what they're gonna do. I love the relationship I have with my family. Such open communication and love. I can talk with them about anything. But I know that not all my brothers or my brothers wife, can be as open with everyone as I can. Well, they CAN be, but they just chose not to be. I wish they would just open up and have it out. Deal with stuff. Move on. In love. Father, come. Change it up.

[Josh]

For some idiotic reason I read this post and didn't reply. Then I got your comment. Thank you. Tonight was a night of reminiscing for me, and I remembered you and how much it sucks that I reminisce instead of talk to you on a regular basis. I suck. You rock.

Josh.

[nards]

Hey Bonnie

Sounds like an awesome week! Man, that sky sounds like it would've been great to see. It's great to get to know weird people, I find I prefer random/ weird kinda people as friends, make life more interesting, although "normal" kinda friends are good too.

The good old BBQ, I wanna have one now but it's 11.25pm, so I'm not going to fire it up now.

Anyways, laters. See you in the soup

[beanie]

Originally Posted by nards

Anyways, laters. See you in the soup

YUM! Soup... we had some wicked as soup on camp. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the food!
Breakfast: cereal and toast... once that is done, out come the sausage cassarole, scrambled and poached eggs and porridge.
Lunch: soup... followed by the main, followed by dessert.
Tea: soup... followed by the main, followed by dessert.
And did I mention copious (I really really like that word!) amounts of morning and afternoon tea and supper... INCLUDING HOT MILO! You little ripper. I kept forgetting about the hot breakfast coming after the cold breakfast. I ate heaps of cereal and then had no room for the other stuff. I don't heaps love hot breakfasts, but it was still pretty nice. Something that I wasn't expecting and was different from other camps.

Here's a nice song that I listened to today. It's by Mark Schultz and talks about faith and jumping off a cliff into nothingness. You can't see the ground and you can't go backwards along the track you came from. You can't even see the other side of the canyon. You just gotta jump. He's either gonna bring the ground up for you to walk on or He's gonna teach you to fly. It just really relates to my life and the next few steps I'm taking. I know that I'm going to the Philippines and I know that I'm going to New Zealand, but that is really all I know. I don't know what I'll do when I get there or who I will meet or how things will work out. I don't know how to train pastors in evangelism or speak the language. I don't have a job, I don't have a house. It's freaky and sometimes overwhelming. Most of all it's real exciting. I can't wait. I'm running to the edge and I'm just keeping on going.



When the Mountains Fall - Mark Schultz, Tony Wood


Verse 1
You stand on the edge, you follow the call
No turning back, you’re risking it all
He whispers your name in a moment of truth
The rocks fall around you, the ground starts to move
You step out in faith; it’s all that you know
You jump into darkness and hold onto hope

Chorus
When the mountains fall, when the rivers rise
Security crumbles before your eyes
The one thing you know in faith you’ll find
Something to stand on or you will be taught to fly

Verse 2
So dream your dreams and live your life
Knowing there’s more than to merely survive
Don’t give up and don’t give in
Fight though the rain and lean into the wind
Till you come to the edge of all that you know
Run right though the dark knowing you’re not alone

Bridge
When you walk through the fire it will not consume you
Though the water will rise it won’t overtake you
Though the mountains will fall, oh, still I am with you
I’ve called you by name and I will not leave you

I’m learning to trust you, I’m learning to fly
I’m learning to trust you, I’m learning to fly




And this morning, I sat on my bed for ages and studied and wrote about faith. I just realised that it connected then! Woo!

[guitarfan01]

You are too infused with God's awesomeness, Bon.

[beanie]

Originally Posted by guitarfan01

You are too infused with God's awesomeness, Bon.

You reckon it's possible?

Well, He's just awesome, really.

It's 1pm. I'm still in my pj's. I love public holidays. The sun is shining. I should sunbake.